Welcome to the
Writing Center

WRITING CENTER

Schedule Appointment
Writing Center Team

Talk about your writing

Every writer needs a reader – and everyone who writes is a writer!

Visit the Writing Center for free, one-to-one help with all your writing projects. We provide resources, strategies and techniques across disciplines and genres that help you improve your writing.

We will work with you in person or online at any stage of your writing process, from understanding your purpose and brainstorming ideas to discovering revision strategies. We can help you with:

  • reviewing assignment guidelines
  • generating and developing ideas
  • organizing long projects
  • organizing within and across paragraphs
  • evaluating and integrating research
  • documenting sources
  • improving sentence structure and style
  • recognizing technical errors
  • …and all other writing matters.
Writing Center Hours (FALL 2024)
Monday10 a.m. - 8 p.m.
Tuesday10 a.m. - 8 p.m.
Wednesday11 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Thursday10 a.m. - 7 p.m.
Friday12 - 3 p.m.
SaturdayClosed
Sunday3 - 6 p.m.

– Frequently Asked Questions

For most projects, you’ll meet with a peer consultant for up to 45 to 50 minutes either in person in the Writing Center or in a synchronous session via WebEx and Google Docs. Our goal is to help you make informed decisions about your writing. Although we focus on one project (or portion of a project) in each session, our overall goal is for you to learn strategies that can transfer to all of your work. Each session is tailored to your needs as the writer and to the project at hand. If you are comfortable with it, we would love to welcome you into our sunny physical space, but we’ve also worked hard to recreate the same helpful, personal support with online appointments.

No! We can help at any stage of the writing process: understanding assignments; brainstorming and expanding ideas; developing a thesis, claim, or research question; evaluating and incorporating sources; outlining and organizing drafts; documenting and citing sources (current versions of MLA, APA, Chicago, ASA, and others); strengthening grammar and mechanics; and other customized forms of support.

In order to help you the most, we request that you provide us with the following:

The instructor’s writing assignment or writing prompt and/or the course syllabus
Any writing in progress, questions, notes, or ideas
You will be able to upload these files directly to your appointment request.

We strongly encourage appointments as we do have a limited schedule, but we accept drop-ins if the time is available. Except in special circumstances, you may schedule up to three appointments per week, one appointment per day, and as far as six weeks in advance. Note that longer projects usually require more than one session, so we recommend scheduling in advance.

When it’s time for your session, if you’ve chosen an in-person session, you will meet your consultant in the Writing Center, Haas 302.  If you have chosen an online synchronous session, return to the scheduling system and click on Start or Join Conversation. We sometimes work with Google docs as well. The consultant will provide an email address for you to share your doc.

This is entirely your decision. If you do want your instructor to be informed, your consultant will email general information to the instructor after the visit. Otherwise, the visit is kept confidential.

At this time, we only work in face-to-face or synchronous sessions, so we don’t accept papers via email. During the session, we’ll explain frequent problems and how to change them so you are able to do so on your own in the future, but we do not fix all errors. The project is always yours to complete. The Writing Center adheres to WCSU’s Academic Honesty Policy as stated in the CSCU’s Student Code of Conduct.

You’ll need time to make revisions and incorporate advice from our session so you can submit your best possible work. The writing will always be yours! Therefore, you must reserve at least one full hour following the end of your appointment to work on your paper before it’s due to make any changes on your own. We can answer a quick question, and we’ll encourage you to make an appointment earlier for next time.

We help with any kind of writing project. For assistance with research and finding sources, you should schedule a consultation with the WCSU librarians as they are your best resource. On the library website, you’ll also find a live chat box for quick help.

We can often help you with understanding the reading, but we don’t tutor for specific content. You’ll find help at the Tutoring Resource Center for some subjects as well as academic coaching or Ancell Commons for courses in business. Check here for additional tutoring and academic support.

We work with all projects. However, plan more time for a longer paper (more than five pages) and schedule additional appointments. Depending on the length and complexity of the assignment or the range of issues you would like to address, two or more sessions may be required as we may not be able to work through the entire piece.

Yes, you can! However, please note that we can only work on your own writing, meaning the portion of the group project that you personally wrote. We can only work on the writing of group members who are present in the session. Please email us to arrange a group session.

No! We can help with scholarship and graduate school applications, statements of purpose, cover letters, and other writing. For help with résumés and other employment preparation, we also recommend the Career Success Center.

The Writing Center is for all WCSU students from any major, any course, freshmen through graduate students. All writers benefit from feedback, from the least experienced to the most advanced. Coming to the Writing Center (or being asked to come) does not mean you are a bad writer. It means you are learning! Learning to write well is a lifelong process, and we are here to help you make that happen.

In some Composition 1 classrooms, trained Writing Center consultants help students and the instructor during class, hold office hours in the Writing Center, and provide support on Blackboard. CETs serve as a bridge between the classroom and the Writing Center.

Your assigned CET will know the most about your specific class, but we understand scheduling can be tough. First, you can contact us with any scheduling concerns. You are also welcome to make an appointment of visit with any other CET or schedule a regular Writing Center appointment.

The Writing Center is staffed by advanced sophomore, junior, senior, and graduate students from a range of majors. As experienced writers and fellow students, we offer guidance and support in an empathetic, non-judgmental setting. Our coordinators, both professors, are always on standby to answer any questions that may arise.

We generally hire consultants and CETs in spring for work in fall semesters. When positions are available, these are posted on our website and on the Student Financial Aid job listings. Feel free to email us with any questions!

Yes, we accept appointments on a walk-in basis. Arriving at the top of the hour (such as 11:00 a.m.) is recommended. Although we try to work with all walk-ins, we encourage you to schedule beforehand to secure your spot. Schedule through the link on our website.

Scheduling in advance guarantees a reserved spot. Appointments may be scheduled as far as six weeks in advance.

If you have a very quick writing question, we are happy to work with you. Be aware that sometimes a quick question can evolve into a full session, and we try to avoid rushing the writing/learning process.

If you are late to your appointment: We will mark it missed at a quarter after the hour. After a certain number of missed appointments, we encourage you to come talk to us, so we can talk about how to work with your schedule.

If you know beforehand that you will be a little late: It’s a good idea to write that in the comments to your tutor when you’re scheduling your appointment, so that you don’t run the risk of losing your appointment.

If you know that you can’t make your appointment: You can cancel by logging in and clicking on your appointment.

Do I have to bring a completed draft?

You do not need to have a draft to come to the Writing Center. We work with writing at all stages of the writing process—from outlines to final drafts.

To make your session most helpful, try to bring:

  • The instructor’s writing assignment or writing prompt
  • Any writing in progress (printed copy, flash drive, or laptop)
  • Questions and ideas
  • The syllabus, any notes you may have, the research or textbook

My paper is due immediately after my session. Is that acceptable?

At the Writing Center, we want to give you time to make revisions and turn in your best possible work. We ask that you reserve at least one full hour following your appointment to work on your paper before it’s due. While it’s helpful to plan ahead, we also completely understand that sometimes assignments get a late start. This is a judgment-free zone! 

Can I email you my assignment?

When you make an appointment, you’ll have the option to attach your assignment. We won’t work on your writing without you, so please don’t email it to us. We look forward to seeing you!

Who works in the Writing Center?

Our staff at the Writing Center are fellow students from a wide variety of majors, backgrounds, and interests. We hire and specially train advanced sophomores, juniors, seniors, and graduate students. Our Coordinator, Dr. Custer, is a Professor in the Department of World Languages and Composition, and our Assistant Coordinators have graduate degrees in writing are often instructors as well.

Can I choose who I work with?

If you are in a Composition class with a CET, your CET knows the most about your class. Check the CET Office Hours for Composition schedule when you make an appointment. For all other classes, choose anyone on the Writing Center Fall 2024 schedule. You can work with the same person when you come again, or you’re free to seek a new set of eyes.

If I’m already friends with someone at the Writing Center, can I work with them?

We strive to have a friendly and professional dynamic. Working with a friend, while fun, can distract from the learning process. We suggest you choose someone else. Remember, our Writing Consultants and CETs are professionals! Please don’t ask them to work on their own time. Come to the Writing Center!

The Writing Center Team

The Writing Center

Haas Library, Room 302
181 White St.
Danbury, CT 06810

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  • (203) 837-8728
  • writingcenter@wcsu.edu